OUR VIEW: Possible Accountability Act fix worries private schools

Published: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 6:59 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

The Alabama Accountability Act was born in controversy, and has stayed there after becoming law.

Republicans in the Legislature bludgeoned Democrats on a wild Thursday night in February to pass it, and it took a court fight before Gov. Robert Bentley could sign it.

The bill gives tax credits to parents who want to pull their children out of failing public schools and send them to higher-quality public schools or private schools. It also provides tax credits for businesses that donate to scholarship funds for lower-income students.

Now it appears some private schools might say “thanks, we’d rather not” because of a possible requirement that ties in with the act’s name — accountability.

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, who helped draw up the original bill, has offered legislation designed to clarify it. One section would require private schools accepting scholarships to administer achievement tests to rate how the participating students are doing in math and language arts.

Those results would be provided to the Department of Revenue, and sent to an independent researcher for analysis to see where improvements might be needed. That researcher would make specific recommendations to the schools.

Representatives of Christian, parochial and private school groups aren’t happy with that prospect, because they don’t want the state telling them how to operate.

They also want the credits to apply not just to students coming from failing schools, but to those already enrolled in private schools. They fear having separate groups in the same school playing by different rules will create a divisive, negative situation.

Those sentiments are understandable. Private schools, secular or religious, by definition are independent entities that, because they take no money from taxpayers, get to set their own rules, choose their course offerings and pick who gets in. Any expanded governmental control is going to be viewed as a threat to that independence.

But the Alabama Accountability Act ostensibly exists to ensure students get the best possible education, so the state’s desire for a method to measure whether that’s happening shouldn’t be surprising.

These are the kinds of sticking points that might require a complete revisit, rather than a clarification, which might be difficult in the waning days of the legislative session.

It certainly would defeat this bill’s purpose, and reduce the options for students in failing schools, if a lot of private schools refuse to participate.

However, it also could provide a valuable lesson for legislators: Don’t set the terms and assume everyone will be willing to play.

<p>The Alabama Accountability Act was born in controversy, and has stayed there after becoming law.</p><p>Republicans in the Legislature bludgeoned Democrats on a wild Thursday night in February to pass it, and it took a court fight before Gov. Robert Bentley could sign it.</p><p>The bill gives tax credits to parents who want to pull their children out of failing public schools and send them to higher-quality public schools or private schools. It also provides tax credits for businesses that donate to scholarship funds for lower-income students.</p><p>Now it appears some private schools might say “thanks, we'd rather not” because of a possible requirement that ties in with the act's name — accountability.</p><p>Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, who helped draw up the original bill, has offered legislation designed to clarify it. One section would require private schools accepting scholarships to administer achievement tests to rate how the participating students are doing in math and language arts.</p><p>Those results would be provided to the Department of Revenue, and sent to an independent researcher for analysis to see where improvements might be needed. That researcher would make specific recommendations to the schools.</p><p>Representatives of Christian, parochial and private school groups aren't happy with that prospect, because they don't want the state telling them how to operate.</p><p>They also want the credits to apply not just to students coming from failing schools, but to those already enrolled in private schools. They fear having separate groups in the same school playing by different rules will create a divisive, negative situation.</p><p>Those sentiments are understandable. Private schools, secular or religious, by definition are independent entities that, because they take no money from taxpayers, get to set their own rules, choose their course offerings and pick who gets in. Any expanded governmental control is going to be viewed as a threat to that independence.</p><p>But the Alabama Accountability Act ostensibly exists to ensure students get the best possible education, so the state's desire for a method to measure whether that's happening shouldn't be surprising.</p><p>These are the kinds of sticking points that might require a complete revisit, rather than a clarification, which might be difficult in the waning days of the legislative session.</p><p>It certainly would defeat this bill's purpose, and reduce the options for students in failing schools, if a lot of private schools refuse to participate.</p><p>However, it also could provide a valuable lesson for legislators: Don't set the terms and assume everyone will be willing to play.</p>